Shakespeare Royal Oak

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Shakespeare Royal Oak began with a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, access, and anti-racism. We always hoped a fully diverse community would join us along the way and will now commit to proactively engaging it.

Shakespeare Royal Oak commits to actively involve people of all races, backgrounds, and cultures in our organization, whether staff, artists, or audience. We will expand our relationships with the BIPOC community by furthering outreach beyond Royal Oak. We will listen to the BIPOC community in an ongoing effort to build our future together.

Shakespeare Royal Oak will provide opportunities for diverse individuals and organizations to join us. We will continue to create a safe space where all artists can bring their unique perspectives and experiences to our work.

Education

Get ready for a great summer with KidsAct!

This six-day learning experience for students entering grades 1-8 offers instruction in Shakespeare, safe sword-fighting and stage combat, and comedic improvisation from qualified, professional teaching artists. Students then perform in an hour-long showcase to be presented for friends and family in Starr Jaycee Park. (KidsAct! 2021 programming is subject to CDC health and safety requirements as of the date of the program.)

KidsAct! will run from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. August 2 – 6, with a showcase performance at 11:00 a.m. August 7, 2021.

More about KidsAct! >

REGISTER NOW FOR KIDSACT!

In 2021, SRO Teen Ensemble will audition and then stage a fast-paced adaptation of William Shakespeare’s original romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing. Love is in the air! This lively abridged script, with witty repartee and dynamic characters created especially for Shakespeare Royal Oak by our alumni director Barton Bund, is a perfect introduction to the world of the Bard. Brisk, clear and to-the-point, the SRO Teen Ensemble version of Much Ado is designed for maximum enjoyment.

All SRO Teen Ensemble students will be contacted after they are registered with a Zoom Invitation to attend both a Workshop, taking place Saturday, June 12 from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. via Zoom, and the Auditions, taking place Monday, June 28 from 7 – 9:30pm via Zoom (separate date/time can be arranged if conflict with audition time). All students registered for the program are cast in a role. If a student expresses interest in technical areas–such as costumes, stage management, sound, or lighting, the curriculum will expand to incorporate those areas.

SRO Teen Ensemble will run two weeks in Starr Jaycee Park, beginning July 19. Sessions held on July 19 – 23 will run from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. and on July 26 – 30 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The experience will conclude with three performances of Much Ado About Nothing, taking place on July 31 at 7:00 p.m., August 1 at 5:00 p.m., and August 2 at 7:00 p.m.

More about SRO Teen Ensemble >

REGISTER NOW FOR SRO TEEN ENSEMBLE

2021 Shakespeare Royal Oak

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

GET TICKETS >

Our main stage show will be A “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” directed by the talented Lynch Travis. The 2021 production will mark Mr. Travis’ directorial debut with SRO. Lynch is well known to audiences at Purple Rose, Meadow Brook, Williamston, JET, Detroit Public, Performance Network, and Bonstelle. And those are just some of the professional houses where he’s worked as an actor, director, or both.

Cast:
Theseus/Oberon: Craig Ester
Hippolyta/Titania: Margaret Alger
Puck: Linda Rabin Hammell
Bottom: Keith Kalinowski
Lysander: Antonio Vettraino
Demetrius: Justin Montgomery
Helena/Snug: CJ Williams
Hermia/Flute: Jaclynn Cherry
Quince/Egeus/Fairy: Dryden Zurawski
Philostrate/Starvelin/Fairy: Maurizio Dominguez

A Midsummer Night’s Dream will run five shows, Thursday, August 5 – Sunday, August 8, 2021.

GET TICKETS >

First Friday VIP Packages

Shakespeare Royal Oak is offering a special VIP fundraiser event in conjunction with the Friday, August 6th performance. First Friday VIP packages are available for $100 and include VIP seating for the performance, a pre-show food & beverage reception with members of the Shakespeare Royal Oak creative team, a photo opportunity on the Starr Jaycee Park stage, silent auction, and more.

GET A FIRST FRIDAY PACKAGE >

Already have tickets for Friday, August 6 and want to add this VIP First Friday package?
CLICK HERE to add this pre-show package for an additional $75 per person.

ADD FIRST FRIDAY >

Mackinac Bridge Auction Item

Shakespeare Royal Oak is honored to be selected as one of only 25 non-profit organizations to offer you and a guest the opportunity to climb to the top of the magnificent Mackinac Bridge!

The Auction Winner (and a guest) will have an unforgettable experience touring the bridge towers which stand 552 feet above the Straits of Mackinac at the top of the bridge’s towers. The “Mighty Mac” was built in 1957 and is the fifth-longest suspension bridge in the world. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

To learn more about the tour details and bid, please visit https://tinyurl.com/SROMacBridge

The winning auction bid and any donations made on this site will benefit Shakespeare Royal Oak. Thank you for your support!

Shakespeare Royal Oak is committed to equity and diversity in our casting and hiring. We invite and encourage artists of all races, backgrounds, and cultures to audition and work with us. We support non-traditional casting and remain committed to consideration of all roles for all artists.

Happy 20th Anniversary Shakespeare Royal Oak!

Shakespeare Royal Oak turned 20 last summer. Though we could not gather In The Park to celebrate together, our SRO Team collaborated with performers, crew, production staff, and audience members to create special premier messaging and performances to entertain you. Together, we made a Toast to our 20th Anniversary.

Tune in to our YouTube channel. Enjoy the performances and messages where we shared stories, snapshots, memories and moments from seasons past.

Thank you for helping us reach this milestone year. We look forward to returning to Starr Jaycee Park and sharing the beautiful words of the Bard with you on many more summer nights. Until that time …

Cheers,
Ed and the SRO Team

Please support SRO as we make plans to return to the park in 2021.

DONATE

Don’t forget: visit our special Toast 20 Celebration YouTube channel.

See videos, photos and more from our past seasons >

Support

There are many ways to support Water Works Theatre Company. You can advertise in our program, volunteer your time or expertise, become a sponsor or make a financial donation. It all ensures that this community jewel continues. Find out how you can help >

DONATE

About

Learn more about Water Works Theatre Company: our beginnings, our passion and our future. Tell me the story >

 

FAQs

Have questions about your Shakespeare Royal Oak experience? We have the answers. Get the FAQs >

Ways to Support Water Works Theatre

Support Shakespeare Royal Oak as we prepare to return to the park

We invite you to enjoy eight amazing video memories, covering all of our 19 years as Michigan’s premiere outdoor Shakespeare festival. Tune in to our YouTube playlist.

As you watch and share these special performances, memories and messages, we invite you to support Shakespeare Royal Oak’s return by donating a small sum. Your support is more valuable than ever during this unprecedented time.

Give now to support SRO’s return To The Park in 2021

DONATE

Best Kept Secret

Some say Water Works is the area’s best kept cultural secret. But the truth is that since 2001 Water Works has presented the biggest and best outdoor professional Shakespeare festival in Michigan. We’re proud to say that we have inspired many other groups to pop up around the state, and we encourage their legacy.  Yet we still offer your family the highest quality, affordable cultural experience anywhere.  From our friendly atmosphere and first rate performances, to our top-notch education programs, we guarantee you will love your time in the park with us.

Help Us This Year

It’s all close to home in a beautiful park in two perfect midsummer weeks. But we need YOU to help keep the dream alive. Think about it: when you go to Stratford, see a Broadway play or even a touring show downtown, you will easily spend more than double Water Works’ ticket prices. Not to mention all the travel, dining and parking.

We’re asking you to help us make up the difference between what we charge our audience, and what it really takes to do it right.

Spread the Word!

  • Recommend us to your company for sponsorship
  • Bring a group to the show. Call 248.399.3727 if your group is ten (10) or more!
  • Make a tax deductible donation.
  • Promote us on Facebook and other social media.
  • Please help this wonderful local jewel of the arts. Together we can make this our biggest and best year ever! Thank you!

Advertise!

Reach over 3,000 sophisticated patrons by advertising with us.  Full, half and quarter page ads are available now. Click here to email us a request for more information and rates.

Volunteer!

Caught the bug? Water Works puts interns and community-minded volunteers to work and they enjoy the fun too. From marketing, signage, hospitality to ushering and even backstage jobs, we have it all. Let us know what area interests you, and we’ll find a fit! Just send us an e-mail and we’ll get back to you!

Sponsorship Opportunities

For two weeks in the park, Water Works expects to impact 3500+ patrons to our ticketed theatre events. Over 50 professional artists and teachers are employed, and 80 to 100 local families enjoy the excitement of our outdoor education programs. Each year we also offer growth opportunities for 6 interns beyond high school.

While Water Works collects audience feedback to measure satisfaction and assist us in our future programming decisions, we do not directly solicit age and address information from our patrons. Our experience since 2001 has shown us, however, that our audience is culturally diverse, generally with (or pursuing) higher education, geographically central to Royal Oak, with high awareness of the arts and appreciation for community quality of life issues.  We see significant long term loyalty in our audiences, and in families in our education programs.  For most of those who come to be entertained, to be educated, or to work at their craft here, Shakespeare in the Park in Royal Oak has become a valued annual tradition.

Share Water Works’ commitment to keeping professional Shakespeare in this community by financially sponsoring our production. Please contact Water Works Theatre Company at 248.399.3727 or email us for sponsorships of $500.00 or more. We want to make the most of your support. Thank you!

Donate!

Online donations are gratefully accepted. Please also contact Water Works Theatre Company at 248.399.3727 or email us for donation information.

About Shakespeare Royal Oak

A slow summer sunset glows across a stage, tucked among tall trees. You’re sitting comfortably on the grass with special friends, as the area’s best professional actors open up the magic of Shakespeare’s genius just for you, under the open sky. By the final bow you’ll be on your feet applauding this unique, affordable and amazing experience that the people of Water Works Theatre Company have shared with you under the summer stars.

And as you stroll out of the park by candlelight, your heart will feel the sweetness of the fleeting season, and wish it would never end. I’m not exaggerating. Each one of Water Works shows has been as special as a jewel.

Then there are the kids. When you see their excited smiles and hear them speak a soliloquy for the first time, or stage a sword fight, or improv a scene, you’ll swear they shine brighter than they ever have.

Bring your family and friends to enjoy this year’s performances as we continue making jewels in the park.

Thank you,

Ed Nahhat
Founder and Chair
Water Works Theatre Company

 

 

 

 

 

Our History

Since 2001, Water Works Theatre Company has offered the wonderful work of the Bard with Michigan’s best professional and emerging professional artists, in a one-of-a-kind outdoor summer setting. It began as a mid-winter dream and emerged that first August as a moonlit magical moment destined to fill a cultural niche so important to the quality of life in the community. In 2002, Water Works also began to fill an educational niche by offering professional Shakespeare performance training to K through 8th grade students that is not available anywhere else, at the reasonable price and convenient location offered here. In 2009, we began presenting a second “daylight family show” in rotation with our main Shakespeare play. In 2010 we began Water Works Academy that offered high school students the chance to create their own Shakespeare-based show on our stage.

Through the years, Water Works has entertained thousands, and employed hundreds of local artists, many of whom have gone on to succeed in theater, television and film. Also, many of our hundreds of students have gone on to study the craft in college. Some have even returned to us as adults.

Water Works has received many accolades from community and state leaders, and has garnered its fair share of artistic awards, too. Most importantly, Water Works continues to create a sustaining movement of artistic and community excellence, thanks to our patrons and sponsors.